Nutritional Therapy

Nutritional Therapy is the process of using nutrition to heal dis-ease in the body. It is much more than just diet counseling.

There is no question that the quality of foods today in the average diet is sorely lacking. We are grossly overfed, yet undernourished! How can that be?

There is a saying "garbage in, garbage out". We are feeding our bodies nutrient-devoid "foods" that don't have the characteristic of building or enlivening cells. Every day our bodies are breaking down at a rate of 24 billion cells. Hopefully (and as designed) we are rebuilding 24 billion cells per day. If not, we are degenerating. The definition of degeneration is when you are breaking down faster than you are rebuilding. The purpose of eating food is to supply the essential nutrients the body requires to build, rebuild, provide energy, function and other essential operations.

Eating isn't just filling space, satisfying the taste buds, meeting a social obligation or preventing starvation. Every physiological function in the body is dependent on specific nutrients for function. If it can't get that nutrient, function is reduced. If you put dirty gas in your car, it may still run, but not efficiently. In the body, we call that disease.

The purpose of nutritional therapy is to ascertain if there are deficiencies that are contributing to disease or lowered function. Then to replace those nutrients so the body can do its job.

When looking at the causative factors of adverse health conditions, we assess them based on 3 principles:

Recognizing that the body has the innate ability to heal itself, if it isn't healing, we have to ask "why not?"

First: The body can only heal if the raw materials needed to heal with, or provide function for, exists in the body. So the first question is, "what is missing that the body needs to heal with?" This can be ascertained using a variety of tests, and also in questioning. The body will tell us in several different ways what is missing, if we know what to look for and if we know the right questions to ask.

Second: If the raw materials appear to be present in the diet, why is the body not utilizing them? For this we need to be checking digestion. Is the person digesting it, are there issues with absorption through the intestines, or are there problems getting the nutrients into the cells? Where is the faulty mechanism? This must be corrected in order to re-establish good health.

Third: What is interfering? Is there something gobbling up the nutrients faster than they can be utilized? For example, parasites can gobble nutrients, drinking soda uses calcium stores to buffer the blood from the excess acids, hydrogenated fats can prevent utilization of essential fatty acids by the body, etc. A prolonged stress response and chronic illness can deplete reserves, gobbling up nutrients faster than in a healthy body. Unless the interfering element is addressed, we will always be "chasing tail".

Nutritional Therapy involves digging deeper and deeper to find the causative factors of disease. Most disease today is caused by nutritional deficiencies, problems in the electrical and energetic fields of the body and outside environmental stressors. Nutrition is only one essential component, and perhaps the most important one.

People often ask why they can't just come in for a nutritional evaluation, find out what's wrong, get my recommendations and be on their way. Why do they have to come in for follow-up visits? If the only reason you are coming in is so you can eat better, it is simple. But most people want to FEEL better. They recognize that nutrition is the primary cause for their failing health and that more is needed if they are to overcome their health problems.

But the body is complex, and what is contributing to their fatigue or ill health may be different than someone else with the same complaints. Some people want better health but the changes may be difficult. The follow-up visits help us find ways to overcome those challenges before they get sabotaged.

The body is dynamic, meaning it is constantly in a state of change. As it changes, supplements typically change as well. As it took years for the body to slowly diminish into its current state of poor health, as it goes through a restoration process, unexpected symptoms may surface. Although it is good, it can be unsettling if not understood. One way to describe it is that the body is like an onion. As you continue to improve the tissues, old maladies surface as the top layer, then the next layer, then the next peels back and you heal. It is a necessary transformation to health. Understanding these layers and supporting them in the proper way is a critical component that only a qualified health professional can transition you through.

Without good follow-up to support you, you are more likely to sabotage your own healing. Everyone loses. It is too easy to fall back on the old way of doing things if you don't have someone holding you accountable, helping you to understand the process, providing fresh ideas on how to do things easier, and supporting your body through the healing process. We want you to have Vital Health! That is why we are here for you.

"I love the diet I'm on. I don't even crave the bad foods anymore. I used to be an ice-cream-aholic! Instead, I pig out on snow peas like they are Oreo cookies. I love greens! My body recognizes what it needs and wants more."

- Sherie

"I like that Dr. Carling incorporates nutrition as a key part of treatment – providing the needed nutritional “building blocks” for the body to restore itself. - Sue

"I was surprised to learn how truly bad for you refined sugars are, and how good for you the right fats are. I was surprised to realize that a large part of it is what I eat and the detrimental chemicals in my environment." - Juli